PS reached 380, enjoy the chapter!
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With time running out, Ritsu had completely forgotten that Shinichi was still a minor who couldn't legally obtain a driver's license.
After jumping onto the blond man's motorcycle, he steadied the handlebars with his left hand while tightly clutching the bomb against his chest with his right as he sped toward the nearest suitable location.
As far as places near Beika Station where the bomb could be safely detonated, only Tsutsumi River remained.
But taking the normal route from here would require at least seven or eight minutes. The bomb would explode long before he arrived.
"Looks like I'll have to take an unconventional route."
Ritsu turned the motorcycle into an alleyway, accelerated, and smashed straight through the cardboard boxes piled near the entrance.
A bookstore employee who had been standing at the alley entrance, preparing to sneak a cigarette break, was startled by the motorcycle bursting out.
Instinctively, he shoved the cigarette into his mouth, and promptly put the burning end in first.
"Hiss—! That's hot!"
Ritsu never witnessed the scene. Right now, he was already riding the motorcycle onto a pedestrian overpass.
The people walking there froze in shock and hurriedly moved aside. Several even cursed at him.
"Sorry! Coming through!"
Unable to explain the truth, he could only apologize repeatedly. If he told people he was carrying a bomb, it would only trigger mass panic and make things worse.
"Hey! Motorcycle up ahead! Pull over immediately!!!"
After coming down from the overpass, Ritsu heard someone shouting through a loudspeaker.
Turning his head in confusion, he saw a beautiful female traffic officer in uniform glaring at him while gripping a megaphone.
"I'm talking to you! Pull over right now!!!"
"...Talk about bad luck. Of all times to run into traffic police."
Even though he was technically a police officer himself, Ritsu felt inexplicably guilty.
Quickly turning back around, he ignored the miniature patrol car chasing him and twisted the throttle harder.
'There wasn't time to chat with you right now, Officer.'
Watching the motorcycle accelerate around a corner and disappear from sight, Yumi's expression instantly darkened.
The twin-tailed traffic officer driving the patrol car seemed completely accustomed to this reaction and casually covered one ear with her hand.
"That bastard!!! He actually ignored me! If I catch him, I'll write a hundred tickets and slap every single one on him! Miike, step on it! Catch him! Go faster!!"
Miike Naeko smiled helplessly.
"Miyamoto-senpai, this car can't catch him. Besides, my driving skills aren't that good."
Yumi wore the kind of expression usually reserved for villains in television dramas.
"If only Miwako were here. Then we'd be able to film our own Fast and Furious."
Meanwhile, after successfully shaking off the miniature patrol car, Ritsu finally arrived at Tsutsumi River.
All he needed to do now was ride down the embankment and send both the motorcycle and the bomb into the water.
Unfortunately, that's when things went wrong.
The instincts honed by years within the Organization suddenly warned him that something was flying toward him.
Instinctively, he tilted his head.
A soccer ball shot past his cheek and flew ahead.
He was feeling relieved that he'd avoided it when two children came running out from a side street, chasing each other and completely oblivious to his presence.
"Hey! Get out of the way!"
Hearing him shout, the children froze on the spot in fright.
Grinding his teeth, Ritsu yanked the handlebars aside. Already steering with one hand, the combination of speed and the sharp angle pushed the motorcycle beyond recovery.
The bike was going down.
Realizing there was no way to avoid crashing, Ritsu abandoned any attempt to save the motorcycle's balance.
Instead, he wrapped both arms around the bomb as tightly as possible to absorb the impact.
If the bomb were damaged, everyone nearby would die.
"Ugh!"
His right arm slammed violently against the asphalt. Momentum carried him skidding across the road, forcing him to curl up in pain.
When he finally came to a stop, he glanced at the timer.
Five seconds remained.
Staggering to his feet through the pain, he instantly realized there wasn't enough time to run down to the river.
There was only one thing he could do.
Throw it with everything he had.
The pitching motion he had practiced countless times during high school remained etched into his muscle memory.
His left hand gripped the bomb tightly. His left foot planted firmly as a pivot. His right leg rose high to synchronize the movement.
Minimizing wasted motion, he poured every ounce of strength from his entire body into the throw.
"Fly!"
The instant the bomb left his hand, Ritsu turned and sprinted toward the two children. He knew exactly how powerful plastic explosives were.
Calculating rapidly, he estimated the bomb would detonate while still airborne. If he didn't shield them, the shockwave alone would injure them.
BOOM—!!!
The bomb exploded in midair.
The blast wave rippled outward, shaking nearby trees.
The motorcycle lying on the ground was tossed into the air.
Even though Ritsu had prepared himself, human beings remained insignificant before such force.
Pulling the children into his arms, he took the full impact and was slammed backward into a utility pole.
The pain made him grimace.
"O-Onii-san, are you okay?"
Did he look okay?
Ritsu really wanted to answer that.
Unfortunately, the pain had already begun clouding his consciousness. The back of his head had struck something during the crash as well.
There was a good chance he'd suffered a mild concussion.
Not wanting the children to blame themselves, he forced a smile onto his face.
It wasn't a very convincing smile.
"I'm fine. Hurry and leave this place. And remember... never play around at intersections again, okay?"
"Okay!"
"Onii-san, this is for you!"
"Mine too! Thank you, Onii-san!"
Something was stuffed into his hand.
At the moment, Ritsu didn't even have the energy to look. The explosion would undoubtedly attract people from all around.
Shinichi would certainly be rushing over too.
Using the utility pole for support, he forced himself upright. In his current state, he absolutely could not let them see him.
His expression twisted in pain.
Sharp canine teeth dug deeply into his lower lip.
Compared to the burning agony radiating from his right arm and leg, the other pain barely mattered.
The sensation felt like countless ants gnawing at his flesh.
Sliding his left hand into his pocket, he pulled out his phone and limped into a nearby alleyway.
Then he made a call.
"Hello? Augier? What made you call me? Let me tell you, Aniki took Bourbon with him. That guy really is incredible when it comes to intelligence work. Anyway, forget that. Augier, guess where I am right now?!"
Hearing Vodka's excited voice, Ritsu didn't need to think. The man had obviously gone to Yoko Okino's photo-book signing event.
"Sorry... Vodka. Looks like you're not getting that autograph after all..."
The photo book slipped from Vodka's hands and hit the floor.
Without even bothering to pick up the treasured item, he sprinted toward the venue exit while shouting into the phone.
"Augier, what's wrong?! Are you hurt? How bad is it? Where are you? Can you still hear me?!"
The flood of panicked questions came nonstop.
This guy really never gave anyone a chance to speak.
"I'm okay... but I need a favor. Come pick me up. I'm in an alley beside Tsutsumi River... near the bridge... hurry. The police are coming this way."
"Got it! I'm on my way!"
Leaning weakly against the wall, Ritsu turned his head toward the light at the end of the alley. He even caught sight of Shinichi rushing past while clutching his phone.
Drawing himself further into the shadows, he used nearby obstacles to conceal his body.
The words "Kudo" flashed across his phone screen.
The kid was probably searching the blast site for him. In this miserable state, he really didn't want his admiring apprentice to see him.
A self-mocking smile curled onto Ritsu's lips.
This scene felt strangely familiar.
Back in America, he had once been this pathetic. Or perhaps during the incident a year ago.
Every time someone witnessed him in such a state... it was always a different person.
Opening his palm, he suddenly let out a soft laugh.
So the items the children had given him were treasures they couldn't bear to eat.
Two milk candies.
Already beginning to melt.
Even without putting them in his mouth, he could almost taste the sweetness.
Slowly lowering his head, no one knew what he was thinking.
Suddenly, he felt very tired.
Who would've thought... that when he was injured, the only people he could call for help...
Were the members of the Organization.